Field of the Application
The application generally relates to wireless communications for Cellular Internet of Things (CIoT), and more particularly, to cellular stations, Mobility Management Entities (MMEs), and methods for handling Mobile Originated (MO) CIoT data.
Description of the Related Art
Cellular Internet of Things (CIoT) is an emerging technology, linking different communication devices, including sensors and actuators, such as Radio Frequency Identifications (RFID), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and laser scanners, through various wireless technologies, including Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) technology, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology, Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) technology, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) technology, Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA-2000) technology, Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) technology, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) technology, Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) technology, and Time- Division LTE (TD-LTE) technology, etc.
Typically, the CIoT technology is used for various purposes related to information collection and analysis, such as monitoring the behavior of persons, things, and/or data through space and time, achieving real-time awareness of a physical environment, assisting human decision making through deep analysis and data visualization, gathering information in diverse settings including natural ecosystems, buildings, and factories and sending the information to one or more server stations. The collected and analyzed information may be used for automation and control, such as automated control of closed systems, control of consumption to optimize resource use across networks, and automated control in an open environment with uncertainty. The emergence of the CIoT technology is promoted by a wide range of applications, including security surveillance, medical, environmental and weather monitoring, monitoring and control of industrial processes, such as agriculture, smart spaces, and smart cities, among others.
In general, a CIoT User Equipment (UE) is powered by a battery and most of the time, it's hard to charge or replace the battery. Also, the wireless communications initiated by a CIoT UE often only involve infrequent small CIoT data transmission. For these reasons, it is desirable to have an energy-efficient way of delivering Mobile Originated (MO) CIoT data, especially for a CIoT UE operating in idle mode.